The Guest
by Disco Ant
Summary: Zenigata is injured in an accident that Lupin is responsible for. Feeling guilty for what he's done, Lupin decides to help the inspector, who learns more about the thief than he ever wanted to know. Rated T for language and suggestive themes.
1. Chapter 1

This story will be replacing Reunited. I will leave that one up, but it won't be updated.

So my first idea for this story was a drama/comedy with lots of friendship. _Lots_. Well, not that much. Honestly, I was watching too much Frasier and I didn't intend to do a rip-off of that, but it kind of became sort of that, kind of? So, Lupin is Frasier and Jigen is Niles and Goemon is Daphne and- Just kidding. I didn't go that far.

Apologies for that horrible first sentence. I couldn't make it work... xD

Enjoy.

* * *

 **Chapter One - Accident**

Lupin stepped harder on the gas pedal, pushing the pale yellow Fiat as fast as it could go down the barely occupied highway as it headed north out of Orleans and towards Paris.

He swore under his breath as the unmarked black sedan continued behind him.

"Watch the hell where you're going," Jigen yelled from the passenger seat as he tensed, Lupin just swerving around an SUV. "Jesus..."

"Why is he chasing us?" Lupin said through clenched teeth as he swerved around a utility truck.

"Because he's Zenigata," Jigen answered, wincing at another close call. "That's what he does."

"We weren't even doing anything," Lupin yelled.

"Our files are probably five inches thick. I don't think we need to be doing anything to be arrested."

Lupin cut in front of a car, the driver honking and flipping him off.

Jigen tensed again. "Will you watch it?! You're gonna get us killed!"

"He's ruining my plans!"

"Well he's gonna ruin more than that if you keep driving this way!"

"Shut up," Lupin yelled. "I know what I'm doing!"

Annoyed at Jigen, he cut in front of another car, just to mess with him.

"Asshole," Jigen muttered.

"Why can't I lose him?" Lupin growled.

"Because this car is a piece of shit," Jigen answered in annoyance. "I told you we should have taken the Cobra, but oh no, we're just going for a short drive. It'll be fine."

Lupin answered in silence, his grip on the steering wheel tightening.

"You know we're going in a straight line, right?" Jigen glanced at Lupin.

"And?"

"And get off the highway and onto surface streets so we can lose him!"

"Shoot out one of his tires."

Jigen looked at him as though he were insane.

"Shoot out one of his tires," Lupin repeated, only this time louder.

"At this speed? That's the worst idea you've come up with!"

"Fine! Then I'll do it!" Lupin pulled out his gun. "Hold the wheel."

"Lupin, I don't-"

"Hold the wheel!"

Jigen sighed and did what he was told.

Lupin turned and stuck his top half out the window. He aimed his gun, taking time to get the perfect shot. He fired off a shot and smirked, pulling himself back into the car and taking the wheel.

Jigen stared in the rear view mirror, watching as the black sedan swerved sharply before rolling over several times. "Shit," he uttered in shock. "What the hell did you just do?!"

"I got rid of him," Lupin answered, seemingly proud of himself.

"Are you insane?!"

Lupin glared at Jigen. "Do you want me to drop you off so you can go check on him?"

Jigen could stare in disbelief.

"He's fine, Jigen. He's Zenigata. He lives through anything." Lupin slowed the car down and sat back in his seat, more relaxed as he continued down the highway.

Jigen continued to stare at him.

...

That night Lupin sat on the couch in his living room, a half empty bottle of whiskey in his hand and drunken eyes staring at the screen in front of him.

The news story of the accident ran on the television, helicopter shots of the highway followed by ground shots of what was left of the sedan flashing on the screen.

When the man behind the desk was finished with the story and onto the next item of the day Lupin played the story of the accident again.

Jigen walked into the room, hands in his pockets as he stared at the back of Lupin's head. "You should turn that off."

"I... I should have listened," Lupin muttered, pained guilt in his voice.

Jigen shrugged. "Things happen. Turn that off and go to bed."

Lupin shook his head as he played the news report back. "I ruined his life."

Jigen sighed in annoyance and walked around the couch, snatching the controller from Lupin's hand and turning the TV off. "It was already ruined. If anything you helped him."

Lupin stared at the dark screen. "You said not to do it and I did it anyway," he whined. "All because I was mad because he was ruining my plans with Fujiko and she doesn't even love me," he sobbed. "I'm so pathetic."

Jigen stared at his friend and sighed. He grabbed the bottle from his hand and took a swig from it. "You are pathetic," he said while setting the bottle on the coffee table. "And I am way too sober to deal with you right now, so get up and go to bed."

Lupin stared off like a scolded child and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Come on," Jigen said, reaching down and lifting Lupin to his feet.

Lupin made no effort to help Jigen out, his legs almost limp as he was dragged up the stairs and into his room.

Exhausted, Jigen got Lupin close enough to the bed to shove him onto it. "Now sleep," he ordered, turning the light off and leaving the room.

...

The next morning Jigen was up early, opening the door to Lupin's room and happy to see his friend sleeping deeply in bed.

After fixing himself something to eat he made his way to the den, deciding to waste the day away playing pool.

"I thought you weren't coming," he said, looking up from his shot and towards the entry where Goemon stood.

"I wasn't," Goemon answered. There was silence as Goemon watched Jigen line up another shot. "How is he?" he said, waiting for the noises of the billiard balls to stop.

"He's fine." Jigen stared at Goemon while chalking the end of his cue.

"Fine?" Goemon asked with a raised brow.

Jigen shrugged. "Well, fine as in he woke me up at two in the morning yelling my name so I spiked his drink with ambien and he finally fell asleep."

"How is he mentally?" Goemon wondered. "I mean, does he... ? Well, you know."

"Oh that. Yeah, I went through the place packing up anything he could use as a weapon. You know how many things can kill you in a house this big?" He gave Goemon a blank stare. "He's depressed, Goemon. Not suicidal."

Goemon glared in response.

Jigen rolled his eyes, an action unnoticable under the rim of his hat. "So, why isn't the bitch here?"

Goemon continued glaring.

"Sorry," Jigen said sarcastically. "When is her majesty the queen blessing us with her presence?"

"She isn't coming," Goemon answered in an angry tone.

"Of course she isn't," Jigen muttered as he hit the five ball and watched as it completely missed it's target. "Damn it." He tossed the stick on the table and looked at Goemon. "This whole damn thing is her fault and she can't even take ten goddamned minutes out of her precious time to see the man who is ruining his life because of her."

Goemon watched as Jigen stormed out of the room.

...

Zenigata groaned, slowly opening his eyes and wincing at the bright room around him.

The two women in the room stood and walked to the edge of the bed, smiling down at him.

Zenigata stared up at them, trying to figure out what was going on. "Kayo, Toshiko..." His head still on his pillow, he looked around the room. "Where am I?"

"Hi dad," Toshiko said with a sorrowful smile.

"You're in the hospital," Kayo, Zenigata's ex-wife, said.

He looked at her, not really understanding.

"You were in an accident," she told him.

"I don't..." He stared off, trying to remember. He lifted his hand to scratch his head, pausing and staring at his gauze covered arm. "What happened?"

"The tire blew out on your car," Kayo said.

"I was chasing Lupin," he remembered.

Kayo and Toshiko glanced at each other.

"I was..." He groaned as he lifted himself up.

"Here, let me help," Kayo said as she placed a hand on his back and gently pushed him forward.

Zenigata started to push himself to the back of the bed, something not right. He stared down at the end of the bed, grabbing the blankets and starting to remove them.

"No, let's not-" Kayo said, trying to stop him but unable to.

Zenigata stared in shock at his right leg, which was now missing below the knee.

...

Lupin stood out of view in the waiting room of the hospital. He watched as Kayo and Toshiko walked down a hallway towards the entrance, the two women quiet and staring at the floor as they left the hospital.

He stared down the hallway they came from and forced himself towards it. Seeing the door to Zenigata's room was open he stopped, debating whether or not to go in.

"You can come in, Lupin," Zenigata called out to him.

Lupin took a deep breath and entered the room. He stopped and stared in shock at Zenigata's leg.

"The way you wear that cologne you must buy it by the gallon," Zenigata muttered as he was sat up in bed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest while his eyes stared in anger at his leg.

Lupin chuckled. "Yeah. I mean, no, it's just strong and I..." He sighed. "So, the two people that left. Family?"

Zenigata rolled his eyes up at him. "Something like that."

"Oh." Lupin stared at the floor uncomfortably.

"My daughter and ex-wife."

"Oh. So, you going home with them?"

Zenigata scoffed. "Like they'd want me in their lives again..."

"I just thought they'd take care of you while-"

"I can take care of myself," Zenigata barked.

"Not for the first few weeks," a nurse said as she entered the room. She smiled at Lupin as she made her way to the side of the bed. "So, Mister Zenigata, how are you feeling today?"

Zenigata looked away from her and grunted.

"Are you in any pain?" she asked while checking his IV drips.

Zenigata gave another grunt.

"A man of few words," she said, grinning at Lupin. "If only all my patients were this easy." She grabbed the clipboard at the end of the bed and wrote down some numbers. "Everything is looking good and if you want we can send you home tomorrow."

Zenigata again answered with a grunt.

"We can send you with a caretaker if one is needed," she said, staring at him and waiting for an answer.

He turned his head away from her and glared out the window.

"Okay, we can figure this all out tomorrow, then." She smiled and nodded at Lupin.

Lupin smiled back and watched as she left the room. He then looked at Zenigata. "So, I was gonna go get something to eat. You want me to bring you something back?"

Zenigata was silent, not even looking at Lupin.

"Um, o-okay..." Lupin turned and started to walk out of the room.

"A hamburger," Zenigata said.

Lupin stopped and looked back at him. He smiled and nodded before leaving.

...

Lupin returned to the hospital carrying a small white paper bag containing Zenigata's hamburger. He noticed the cop cars parked out front and entered the building cautiously.

Two cops stood in the waiting room, their backs to Lupin as they spoke.

Lupin walked with brisk strides past them, finding a wheel chair sitting behind an empty food cart in an adjoining hallway. He sat down, out of view from everyone, and waited, occasionally peeking around the cart to see if the cops were still there.

Two cops walked down the hallway, away from Zenigata's room, and joined the others. They spoke briefly before they all left together.

Lupin looked up as they were leaving. "Finally," he sighed, getting up and walking towards Zenigata's room.

"Geez, I thought those guys would never leave," Lupin joked. "Your food is probably cold."

"What happened?" Zenigata asked as he stared off seriously.

"What happ...? I don't under-"

"When I was chasing you," Zenigata said in a raised voice. "What happened?"

Lupin shrugged. "You were chasing us and next thing I know you weren't. The news said your tire blew out or something. Here." He held out the bag with Zenigata's hamburger in it.

"I'm not hungry."

"Oh. Well, okay..."

"So you saw nothing?"

Lupin shook his head.

"Huh, that's funny." He held up two small clear bags, each one marked as evidence. "They found this in my tire," he said, tossing a bag with small metal fragments in it on the bed. "And this," he said while tossing a bag containing a single shell casing on top of the other bag, "was found on the highway."

Lupin stared down at the bags, the guilt clearly shown on his face.

"Now only one gun in the car I was chasing uses that caliber bullet and ejects the casings. And it sure as hell isn't Jigen's." Zenigata tensed in anger as he glared at Lupin. "What happened?" he yelled.

Lupin stared at the floor and sighed. He walked to the chair at the end of the bed and sat down. "I'm sorry," he muttered.

"That wasn't what I asked."

"I just-"

"How in the hell did you ever think that was a good idea?! You're lucky there weren't more cars on that highway! Do you know how many people could have died?! Do you know that I could have died?!"

Lupin glared at him. "I know, okay? And I'm sorry! It was stupid and I wasn't thinking and-" He stared at the floor and shook his head. "It was just the wrong damn time."

"Oh, was it? Well, next time I'll be sure to call you to see when you have an opening in your schedule!"

"You were just screwing everything up, all right?!"

"Well, gosh, Lupin, I'm so sorry! I hope the loss of my leg makes up for me ruining your wonderful day!"

Lupin closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "Look, I'm sorry. And I feel really bad about it."

"That's nice. You know what my right foot feels? Nothing! Because it isn't there anymore!"

"What do you want me to say, huh?! I'm sorry, okay?! I fucked up! I ruined your life and I'm sorry!" He stared at Zenigata as the tears rolled down his cheeks.

Zenigata stared at him, the anger draining from his body. He had never once seen Lupin cry and mean it. He stared down at his lap and fidgeted with the blankets, the atmosphere in the room quickly becoming uncomfortable. "They'll want to stick me behind a desk. Someone else will be given your case."

Lupin wiped away his tears and shrugged.

"I'll probably just retire. And hope my pension will cover the medical bills. And my rent. And food. And utilities." Zenigata glanced up at Lupin before quickly looking back at his lap.

"I can pay for everything," Lupin muttered.

Zenigata shook his head slowly. "You've done enough, Lupin."

Lupin nodded sadly.

Zenigata sighed in frustration. "I didn't mean it like that. I just... Nevermind."

"Where will you go?"

"Japan, probably."

"You can't live alone."

"I'll manage."

Lupin sighed. "Look, just let me help you. Please."

Zenigata said nothing.

"Come home with me. You can live there."

Zenigata laughed and shook his head. "I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"It's a big house," Lupin insisted. "There's eight rooms in the place that aren't even being used. I can make one of the downstairs rooms into a bedroom and there's a-"

"Lupin, stop."

"Please. Just... just let me help. At least until you can live on your own."

Zenigata stared at Lupin's sad and pleading expression and sighed. "Fine," he said. "I'll... I'll go live with you."

"Thank you," Lupin said, a relieved look on his face.

...

"Hey," Jigen said, continuing to make his sandwich while he took the call.

"Hey," Lupin said. "Is Goemon still there?"

"Probably. You know how hard he is to get rid of. Why?"

"Could you guys do me a favor and swap one of the upstairs bedrooms with one of the downstairs rooms?" Lupin asked in a hopeful tone. "Preferably one of the rooms near the bathroom?"

"Upstairs bathroom?" Jigen wondered, not fully understanding.

"Downstairs."

"Okay," Jigen said in confusion. "Do I want to know why? If this has something to do with Fujiko, I swear to god I will-"

"It isn't," Lupin sighed. "I... I invited Zenigata to live with me."

Jigen stared off.

"Just get it over with," Lupin said in annoyance.

"You're insane," Jigen said in a surprisingly calm manner. "This is dumber than shooting out his tire. You two are going to kill each other by the end of the week."

Lupin rolled his eyes.

"No, seriously, Lupin, this is a valiant effort on your guilts part, but did you just hear what you said?"

"Just switch the rooms," Lupin muttered in annoyance.

"You and Zenigata, under the same roof," Jigen said, hoping it would soon all make sense to Lupin. "Your personal spaces intersecting. Your germs mingling. Your-"

"Bye, Jigen," Lupin said before ending the call.

Jigen stared down at his phone before pocketing it. "What an idiot," he said, taking his sandwich with him into the living room.

...

The next morning the sun was shining brightly and the skies were clear and blue. It should have been a day to make anyone feel good, yet Zenigata just wanted it to be over with.

He sat quietly in the passenger seat of Lupin's car, staring out the window and watching the scenery pass by in a blur.

Miles of vineyards and farmland zipped by as the car got closer to Paris.

Lupin got off the highway just short of reaching the city and took a road that veered off towards the northwest.

Zenigata said nothing as he continued staring out the window.

"You hungry?" Lupin wondered. "I know a place that makes the best waffles."

"I'm fine," Zenigata muttered.

Lupin stopped at a light and glanced over at his passenger. "Thirsty?"

Zenigata shook his head.

"Okay." Lupin looked around, waiting for the light to change. When it did he made a left, heading further into the western suburbs of Paris.

Zenigata stared at the houses they passed, impressed at the size of them. Even though he had been in this neighborhood many times he had never payed attention to what was around him.

Lupin pulled the car up to a tall metal fence, the gates of it slowly opening. He drove through the gates and down a short curved driveway, pulling up to the front of his house.

Zenigata stared up at it in amazement.

Lupin looked over at him and smiled. "Welcome home, Pops."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two - Loss**

Zenigata followed Lupin through the front doors. Standing in the foyer, he leaned on his crutches as he looked around him.

In front of him stood a double staircase, in between the stairs standing two heavy looking wooden doors. On his right and left were arched entryways into rooms that seemed to be filled with cloth covered items.

"There's nothing in that room," Lupin said as Zenigata stared into the room on his right. "Just a place to put random junk."

"What'd it used to be?"

"A dining room," Lupin said almost as a question. "But there's a place to eat in the kitchen, so I just use that."

"Oh." Zenigata looked to his left as Lupin pointed in that direction.

"Another junk room," he said. "Don't ask me what it should be because it's always just been a junk room. Probably a sitting room or smoking room or something fancy and completely useless."

Zenigata grinned.

"But the door at the end, that's where the den is. There's a pool table in there and a lot of old books, if you're into reading long dead French authors that nobody has ever heard of." Lupin walked forward towards the wooden doors and opened one.

Zenigata followed him into a spacious and bright room, the walls going up to the second story ceiling and the back of it covered in windows. Inside was a desk, a sitting area, a couple of pinball machines and a large screen TV hanging on the left wall with a long couch in front of it.

"This is what I call the living room. Through that arch," he said as he pointed to his right, "is the kitchen. And this way," he said while starting towards the arch on the left wall, "is where your room is."

Zenigata took one last look around the room and followed Lupin down a short hallway.

Lupin thumbed towards a door as he walked by it. "The bathroom. It has a bath, shower, everything. And here," he opened the door in front of him, "is your bedroom."

Zenigata entered the room and looked around. It was nothing fancy, which surprised him, but looked comfortable. The bed, dresser, and side tables appeared to be quite modern and the room looked clean and lived in.

"This is actually the guest bedroom, but before today was just another junk room."

"You seem to have a lot of junk," Zenigata muttered as he made his way to the bed and sat down on it.

Lupin laughed. "Yeah, my grandpa left behind a lot of things that meant something to him and my grandma. To me it's just all junk, but I can't get rid of it."

Zenigata nodded while looking around the room. "My father had the ugliest lamp. He loved that stupid thing. First thing my mother did when he died was throw it away."

He had no idea why he thought of the hideous item that caused his parents to constantly argue, but Lupin seemed to enjoy the memory. Why, Zenigata didn't know.

"I'll let you get settled in," Lupin said. He started to leave when he stopped. "Oh, the doors to the back patio are off the kitchen. I prefer if you smoke out there. I don't want the paintings to be ruined."

Zenigata nodded.

Lupin started out the door when he stopped again. "Jigen is grabbing your things from your hotel room. So if you wanted to take a shower or bath you should have clean clothes by the time you're done."

Zenigata nodded again. "Thanks," he muttered. He stared at the door as it closed and sighed deeply. He laid himself on the bed and stared blankly at the ceiling.

...

The hours had passed and Zenigata still laid in bed, unmoved from his original position, though now his eyes were closed. The conversation he had with his once family repeated in his mind, every play-through making him just that more depressed.

He had to admit it was an awkward reunion, having seen neither in almost four years. And in that time he had plenty of opportunities to see them, yet made every excuse not to.

The divorce hadn't been the easiest. He and his wife had been married for six years. They had difficulty conceiving, the two miscarriages and the possibility of being childless putting a huge strain on their marriage.

In their fifth year they finally had a child, but that didn't make anything easier.

Zenigata had been promoted and put on a major case, one that kept him at the station long into the night.

Their daughter cried constantly, Zenigata's wife having to deal with her on her own. Her stress levels rose to the point she'd cry alongside her daughter, sobbing uncontrollably.

By the time Zenigata got home he was too tired to care.

His wife was forced to find help. She found it in a male nurse at the local hospital. Soon after the affair started.

Not long after, she informed him of the affair, almost bragging about it. The two had a loud argument and Zenigata packed up his things and left.

His daughter was too young to remember him. The only father she knew was the nurse, who her mom married two years later.

Zenigata would call her when he had the time, something he had very little of after he was put on the Lupin case. He still made the effort, though.

Seeing her in the hospital that day, he almost didn't recognize her. If she had been there alone he would have asked who she was, his daughter no longer the kid he remembered, but now a young woman.

Once the shock of his injuries wore off, his wife left the two to talk.

Toshiko talked about school and looking into universities, excited at the prospect of what her future could be. She then talked about her boyfriend, something Zenigata was not happy to hear about. She talked about her stepdad and all the traveling they did, excited as she told him about all the places they visited.

He was happy for her, glad she was being brought up well and enjoying life.

His ex-wife returned and Toshiko was sent away so the two could talk alone.

Zenigata's happiness quickly faded.

She was kind, but curt. She apologized for what happened to him, but then said nothing between them had changed. She told him not to expect help from her or their daughter, that they would be returning home and he would be on his own. She then told him he was pathetic, how he gave up everything for the job, only for him to lose everything in the end.

He knew she was right. He long ago lost his family because of his job. Whatever friends he had he lost long ago. And soon he would be losing his job and his purpose.

He had resolved himself to living alone and becoming too drunk to care. Then Lupin made his pleading offer.

Knowing that the man he had spent all those years trying to arrest was the only one in the world that cared about him was more depressing than the thoughts of becoming a useless drunk.

He glanced at the door as someone knocked on it. "I'm still not hungry," he said.

The door opened and Jigen walked in with two suitcases. "That's nice," he said, not in the greatest mood. "Enjoy your shit." He dropped the suitcases at the foot of the bed.

"Took you long enough," Zenigata said as he sat up, annoyed at Jigen's attitude.

Jigen was heading out the door when he froze, taking a deep breath to try and calm himself. It didn't work, so therefore, Zenigata got to hear his rant.

"Well," he began through clenched teeth, "maybe Lupin shouldn't have foisted his piece of shit car on me, the piece of shit that broke down on the way to the hotel. And then maybe Lupin should have put the tools back in the trunk when he was done with them so I could have fixed his shitty car. And maybe the tow truck shouldn't have taken a goddamned hour to get there, only to take me to the one place where nobody speaks any english, which was really helpful since I know maybe five words of french. And maybe it shouldn't have taken them two fucking hours to fix the car that I was forced to foot the bill for because Lupin wasn't answering his damn phone so he could pay for that stupid piece of shit he refuses to get rid of that I swear one day I'm going to push off a fucking cliff! So, as I said, enjoy your shit!"

Zenigata winced as the door was slammed shut. He reached for his crutches and got up from the bed when his door opened again.

"Where'd the asshole go, anyway?" Jigen asked, his voice a little calmer.

Zenigata shrugged.

"Oh." He paused as he stared at Zenigata. "Hey, I'm gonna go find a bar and get really drunk. You wanna come?"

Zenigata stared at him in annoyance. "You don't have to be nice to me."

"Sadly, I was born with this annoying gift of being nice to people who don't piss me off. And amazingly you're the one person in this house who isn't pissing me off. So, do you want to come or not?"

Zenigata thought about it. "Sure," he sighed. "Why not?"

Jigen got to the foyer and turned towards the steps. "Lupin," he shouted. "I'm taking one of your good cars! And you also owe me 750 euros, asshole!"

Zenigata sighed and followed him out the front door, now unsure if he really wanted to get drunk with the man.

...

Lupin woke up late the next day. He threw on some clothes and made his way down the stairs and towards the kitchen, stopping when he saw Jigen and Zenigata sitting together and playing a fighting game.

"Where the hell were you?" Jigen asked, his eyes staying on the screen as he continued mashing random buttons.

"I was out," Lupin said as he stared at the screen. "What are you playing?"

"Clash of the Seven Kingdoms 5," Jigen answered.

"Why are you playing it?" Lupin asked in boredom.

"Because this series is great and it just came out today. Oh, and by the way, you now owe me 700 euros."

"What?" Lupin wondered as he made his way to the kitchen.

"I had to get your stupid car fixed yesterday," Jigen said, loud enough for Lupin to hear him from the other room. He groaned in frustration as his character lost. "Your character is basically Fujiko in a g-string with a knife! How is she beating a guy in titanium armor and a war hammer?!"

Zenigata grinned. "Maybe you should learn some of the combos and stop hitting random buttons."

"Tch, whatever. I'm beating you next time."

"That's what you said the last eight matches," Zenigata said, rubbing it in a little.

"What happened to the car?" Lupin wondered as he left the kitchen holding a bowl of cereal. He walked to the couch and sat down next to Jigen, eating while he watched them play.

"It broke," Jigen said with a shrug. "The guy at the shop didn't speak any english, so I have no idea what was wrong with it."

"You probably got had."

"No, _you_ got had because you're paying me ba- Damn it!" Jigen sat back in defeat, Zenigata smirking at him.

"Another round?" he asked.

"Sure," Jigen sighed.

"I wasn't the one who broke the car," Lupin said.

Jigen glared at the TV. "I'm not having this conversation right now..."

"And I'm not paying you."

"Yeah, you are, because you-" Jigen pulled his ringing phone from his pocket and stared in confusion at the screen. He set the controller down and stood, answering the phone. "What." He made his way across the living room and towards the kitchen. "Wait, who's dying? Slow down! What are you talking about?"

Lupin and Zenigata glanced at each other.

"Dad's dying?" Jigen asked in shock as he walked outside. "Since when? ... Eight months ago? ... Cancer?! Dad has cancer and you never told me?! What the hell, Takara?!"

Jigen sat on the stone railing of the patio and pulled out a cigarette, placing it between his lips. "I don't care if he didn't want me to know. I'm his son. I should know. ... I also don't care that he doesn't want to see me. ... Well, tell him I'm coming to see him whether he likes it or not."

He ended the call and put the phone back into his pocket. Hit lit the cigarette still between his lips and took a long drag, staring up as he exhaled the smoke.

"Everything okay?" Lupin asked as he walked onto the patio.

Jigen stared off, shook his head, and shrugged. "My sister," he said. "Apparently my dads been dying for almost the last year and I didn't even know."

"Oh. I'm sorry," he said with an apologetic look.

"Yeah," Jigen sighed. He took another drag of his cigarette before snubbing it out on the top of the railing. "We never really got along. It got worse after my mom died. My sister was his favorite."

Lupin said nothing as he stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say.

"But, whatever." Jigen pushed himself off the railing and began walking towards the house. "Can you give me a ride to the airport?"

Lupin nodded and followed him inside.

...

After Lupin and Jigen left, Zenigata returned to his room. He sat on the end of the bed, staring in front of him at a painting on the wall.

It was a portrait of two people, a man and woman who were probably in their early thirties. The man was standing behind the woman as she sat in a chair.

"Looks just like him," Zenigata thought, the man almost identical to Lupin except for the longer hair and mustache. "Weird," he sighed, grabbing his crutches and standing.

Zenigata had the features of both his parents. He had the chin and nose of his father and the eyes and ears of his mother. And the only thing he had similar to either set of grandparents was his mouth, being almost identical to the one his fathers father had.

"Why do they all look the same?" he wondered as he made his way to the back of the house.

The sun was shining and the air was cool, the days of summer coming to an end. He paused, letting the suns warmth soak into his skin and clothes.

Something catching the corner of his eye, he turned. "Oh, I didn't know you were here," he said as Goemon sat cross legged against the house.

Goemon opened his eyes, staring vacantly at him for a few second before closing his eyes again.

Zenigata gave him an odd look, shaking his head and continuing towards a chair. He sat down and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it and taking a long drag.

"Those things will kill you," Goemon said, his eyes still closed.

"Thank you, mister surgeon general," Zenigata said sarcastically. "I do believe you've told me that twelve times on this pack."

Goemon opened his eyes and glared at him. He stood up and walked in front of Zenigata, looking down at him. He then yelled, pulling out his sword and slashing violently.

Zenigata's eyes opened wide as he sat frozen in place. The cigarette that was between his lips then fell into small pieces onto his lap. His shock turned to anger. "What the hell was that for?!"

"Your sarcasm," Goemon answered while sheathing his sword. "I didn't appreciate it. Especially when I was only trying to help."

"Telling me something that's been told to me thousands of times isn't helping! It's only being annoying!"

Goemon stood and glared down at him.

Zenigata returned the glare. "You are a very strange person, you know that?"

"Now it's you who is being annoying." Goemon gave him one last glare before walking off into the house.

Zenigata shook his head and sighed. "Where does Lupin find these people?"

...

That evening Zenigata sat at the kitchen island, staring over the counter at the food Lupin was cooking.

"So, was everything okay with Jigen?" He liked to think that the question arose from being curious and not that he cared about the man, but having spent a night drinking with him told Zenigata that Jigen was more normal and down to earth than he would have thought.

Lupin shrugged. "Just personal things," he said, Jigen not wanting the others to know.

"Hmm." Zenigata once again stared off at the cooking food. "You told me I messed everything up."

Lupin looked up from the recipe he was reading. "What?"

"At the hospital. You said I messed everything up when I was chasing you."

"Oh, that." Lupin laughed and shrugged. "Ancient history."

Zenigata wished it were, the stitches in his leg and pain he felt telling him otherwise. "What'd I mess up? What was worth...?" He sighed, not really wanting to continue with the argument the two had at the hospital.

"Nothing important," Lupin said, trying to make it seem convincing. He looked up as Zenigata glared at him. "I... I made plans with Fujiko," he sighed in defeat. "And then she stood me up."

Zenigata didn't know whether to start screaming over him losing his leg over something so stupid or to laugh at Lupin and his misery and pain. In the end he did neither, both emotions negating each other out.

Lupin glared as he poured some wine into the food. "You're not gonna laugh or yell or threaten me?"

Zenigata shook his head. "So, you and Fujiko. What's your end goal with her? What do you expect to gain?"

"You talk about her like she's a job," he scoffed.

"Isn't she? The one treasure you have yet to obtain?"

"Tch, I wouldn't go that far."

"Do you love her?"

"I..." Lupin paused as he stared down in thought at the food he was stirring.

"You mean you don't know?" Zenigata said with a laugh.

"It's complicated, all right?" Lupin blurted out in annoyance. "Do you still love your ex-wife?" he asked, trying to make a point.

"Actually, yes, I do," Zenigata said simply. "She doesn't love me, though, so it makes things a whole lot easier."

"Oh," Lupin muttered, his point defeated.

"You know what your problem is, Lupin? You're a fifteen year old stuck in an adults body. Sometimes you just have to let go and grow up."

"So I can become like you? Pfft, no thanks."

Zenigata rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Dinner's almost ready," Lupin said, "so make yourself useful and go find where Goemon has hidden himself away and let him know."

Zenigata stared at Lupin as Lupin grinned at him. He sighed, grabbed his crutches, and left the kitchen.

...

Zenigata was up early the following morning. He had gotten dressed and sat on the bed, reaching down to put a sock on his right foot. He stared at the space his foot should have been and sighed sadly.

He slouched over, leaning his arms on his thighs. He sighed deeply, sitting up and reaching for an envelope on the side table.

The envelope was sealed and addressed to his chief.

"Maybe it's time..." he muttered to himself, his thought broken when the door to his room suddenly opened. "Do you ever knock?" he asked angrily.

Lupin shrugged. "What's that?" he wondered, pointing to the envelope.

"It's nothing." Zenigata put it back on the table.

"Whatever. Anyway, you need to get ready because I'm taking you and Goemon out for waffles."

Zenigata gave him a confused and annoyed stare. "Why?"

Lupin shrugged. "Why not?"

"Does Goemon even eat waffles?"

"Nope. I don't even think he knows what a waffle is, but he's coming whether he likes it or not."

"I'm surprised he hasn't killed you, yet," Zenigata sighed as he started to put a sock on his left foot.

Lupin laughed. "Me, too. I'll be outside waiting."

Zenigata looked up as Lupin left. "Waffles... With those two?" He scoffed and shook his head.

...

Jigen walked into the hospital and up to the front desk. "Hi," he said as one of the women approached him. "I need the room for Kenta Jigen."

She nodded and sat down in front of a computer, typing in the name. "Room 414, sir."

"Thanks." Jigen made his way to the elevators and hit the button, waiting for one of the doors to open. When one did he entered it, hitting the button for the fourth floor.

"What am I doing here?" he wondered as the elevator began it's ascent. "What point am I trying to prove? And what am I even going to say?" He closed his eyes and groaned. "God, I am such an idiot."

The elevator stopped and the door opened, Jigen stepping out and making the short walk to his fathers room.

Inside the room stood his sister, standing and holding her fathers hand as she cried. Around her the nurses were busy turning off and unplugging the machines next to the bed.

"Takara?" Jigen said as he stepped inside the room.

Takara looked up. She let go of her fathers limp hand and rushed towards her brother, wrapping her arms around him and crying into his shoulder.

Jigen stood unmoved, staring in shock at what his father had become, catching a short glimpse of his face before the nurses covered it up. The room went quiet, the last of the machines unplugged, the only noise Jigen hearing being silence as he focused on the covered body on the bed.

* * *

The scene with Zenigata and Goemon popped into my mind and it was so dumb I had to write it. xD So, just pretend that every country has a surgeon general and that they stick warnings all over packs of cigarettes. I always seem to make Lupin obsessed with some sort of food. I'm getting flashbacks of him and schnitzel...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three - Replacement**

"And... I'm in," Lupin said proudly, his eyes scanning the screen of the laptop on the desk in front of him. He typed something quickly, a new screen opening. "Interesting..."

"What's interesting?" Zenigata wondered as he entered the living room.

"Your replacement," Lupin said as he turned the laptop towards Zenigata.

Zenigata stared at the screen, then glared at it. "You hacked into the police database?" he said unhappily.

Lupin just looked at him and shrugged.

"You know I'm still employed by them, right?" Zenigata glared and waited for an answer.

"Yeah, so? What are you going to do? Arrest me?"

"The fact you'd be doing something so stupid right in front of me..."

"You weren't even in the room when I started," Lupin muttered. "Besides, last I checked this was my house."

Zenigata continued to glare at Lupin. He sat down in a seat on the other side of the desk and stared across it.

"Tch, fine," Lupin said, closing the window and slamming the laptop closed. "So, you know anything about this Detective McGinty?"

Zenigata crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "Other than what you've already read? Not much."

"He moved up the ladder pretty fast."

"He's good at getting what he's after."

"And now he's after me," Lupin smirked.

"I wouldn't take him too lightly. He's cocky, but he has a good record."

"And you had a good record, too, before you got put on my case."

"Are you gloating?" Zenigata asked unhappily.

"A little." Lupin looked at him and grinned. He stood up and started walking away from the desk.

"Where are you going?"

"To check this McGinty guy out."

"Huh? Lupin, don't be an idiot." Zenigata watched as Lupin ignored him and started towards the front door. "Lupin!" He sighed as the front door closed.

...

Jigen rode with his sister as she drove to an area southwest of Tokyo. He stared out the window as the scenery passed him by.

The two had spoken very little since the hospital, Takara having taken care of all the paperwork while Jigen sat outside and smoked.

"We're here," she said quietly, parking the car on the side of the road.

Jigen looked out the window. "A cheap noodle shop?"

Takara nodded. "Dad lived in the apartment above the place."

"I thought you said he lived somewhere nice," Jigen said as he stepped out of the car and followed his sister to the side stairway.

"He did," she said as she unlocked the door.

"This place isn't nice." Jigen followed his sister inside and glanced around the room he was in.

If there was one thing his father wasn't, it was messy. The main room of the apartment, which included the kitchen and small dining area, was spotless. Everything was in it's place and clean.

"I can't believe he sold the house and moved here..." Jigen said as he walked to a shelf on the wall. On it were various photos, Jigen eying each one before walking away and staring out the front window.

"He said it made him too sad," Takara said in a low voice as she started pulling books from the bookshelf. "If you see anything you want..."

Jigen looked back at her. "I'd rather just burn all this shit."

"Daisuke," she said in shock as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"It was no secret me and dad didn't get along. And look around you. There isn't one picture of me in this whole place."

She stared down at her lap in sadness.

Jigen sighed. "I'm sorry. It's just... Living with him after Noboru... living with him wasn't fun." He walked to a framed photo on the wall and grabbed it. The longer he stared at it the angrier he got. "This was the last fun trip we had as a family."

The photo was of his dad, mom, and sister as they all posed at the entrance to a baseball stadium. The right side of the photo was obviously cut off.

"Dad made us all go to a Tigers game," Jigen continued. "And then we went to that restaurant and you and mom got sick."

Takara laughed. "Dad told me that Noboru made you think we were dying and then you cried and ran off."

Jigen thought back on that event, his dad finding him standing in the middle of the road and jerking him by the arm back onto the sidewalk before screaming at him. "And that's when it stopped being fun." He tossed the photo on the floor. "Kind of glad the fucking asshole is dead," he muttered before walking out the door.

Takara tensed, bowing her head and sobbing.

...

Lupin looked around him as he stepped into the police station. His only disguise was a police uniform and an awful looking mustache, but nobody seemed to even take notice.

He nodded at the officer behind the front desk as he walked by it, walking into the main offices. He scanned the room, seeing no sign of McGinty. 'Where is that bastard?' he thought.

"Can I help you?"

Lupin jumped slightly, turning to see the man he was seeking staring right at him. "Detective McGinty," he said pleasantly to the short balding man. He extended his hand.

McGinty, no expression on his face, stared down at Lupin's hand and paused before shaking it.

"Officer Radish," Lupin said. "I was just transferred here to help on the Lupin case."

McGinty nodded. "I need more of the files brought up, officer. Let me show you where they are."

Lupin nodded and walked next to the man. "So, this should be exciting, huh? I mean, the famous Lupin the Third."

"I don't see cases as being exciting," McGinty said, his tone all business. "A criminal is a criminal."

"Oh." Lupin stared at the man, already annoyed by him. "But, I mean this Lupin guy gave Inspector Zenigata a tough run, right?"

McGinty scoffed. "Inspector Zenigata was an amateur who shouldn't have been put anywhere near this case. The man couldn't even catch a cold if he tried, much less catch Lupin."

Lupin glared at the man before putting on a fake smile. "Yeah, well, I heard Zenigata was pretty good."

"The guy was a laughingstock," McGinty said in annoyance. He opened a door and led Lupin down a flight of stairs.

Lupin fought the urge to push McGinty down them.

"He was nothing but dead weight around here," McGinty continued. "He thought we all respected him, but he never did anything to earn our respect. The only thing we did was mock him. Kind of glad he'll soon be gone."

Lupin tensed, his hands balled into fists, ready to say something when McGinty stopped. Lupin then relaxed and faked a smile as the detective turned towards him.

"This is the room with all the files in it." McGinty held open a door, behind it a large room filled with shelves stacked with boxes. "Everything for the Lupin case should be on the back shelf. I'd like it all in my office by the end of the day."

"Yes, sir," Lupin said happily. He then glared at the man as he left the room.

...

Jigen was the only customer in the noodle shop downstairs. The woman who owned the shop came out of the kitchen, giving him more tea while taking away his empty bowl.

The bell on the door rung out, Jigen glancing up as his sister sat down across from him. "Never took you for a tea drinker," she said in a low voice while she stared down at the cup.

Jigen said nothing.

Takara fiddled with her hands in her lap and sighed. "I never told dad you were coming."

Jigen looked up at her. "Thanks." He looked away and scoffed. "I don't even know why I came. Or what I was even going to say to him."

Takara nodded. "He did love you, you know."

Jigen scoffed. "Right."

Takara quickly glanced at him before looking away.

"That's why I'm cut out of every photo in his place, because he loved me. Even Noboru's cut out of them."

"After mom died he removed all of Noboru's pictures. He said the memory was too painful to live through again."

"You do know he blamed me for that, right?"

Takara nodded.

Jigen downed his tea and scoffed. "Like I'd kill my own brother. I was fucking eleven years old. I did nothing but look up to him. It was his own damn fault he hung around those people."

Takara stared down at the table. Her memories of her brother were few, having only been six years old when he died. The main thing she remembered was the pain it caused her family.

Jigen watched as the owner poured him some more tea. He waited until she was gone to continue. "But it was all my fault somehow. Dad, the brave man, taking it all out on a kid. The man who sat on his ass and did nothing while his sons killers wandered free. And if it wasn't for me putting a bullet in their brains they'd probably still be walking around free."

Takara gasped and stared at him in shock. "That... that was you? You killed them?"

Jigen nodded. "Who else was going to do it? Dad didn't care, the cops didn't care, even the newspapers who over-sensationalized that sort of crap didn't care. And I knew where Noboru hid his gun, so why not."

"Daisuke..."

Jigen drank the rest of his tea and stood, tossing some money on the table. "You gonna be okay here on your own? I'd rather not have to deal with any of dad's stuff."

Takara looked up at him and nodded.

"I'm gonna grab a room and get some sleep. I'll probably catch a flight out as early as I can tomorrow."

Takara nodded. "Okay." She stood up and hugged him.

"Just put dad between mom and Noboru for me, okay? Make the old bastard happy for once."

"Okay," she said with a laugh.

The two separated and smiled at each other.

"I'll see you later, sis."

She nodded. "Bye, Daisuke." Her smile faded as she watched in sadness as her brother walked out the door.

...

Lupin sat on the couch, arms crossed as he glared at a laughing Zenigata. "I'm glad you find this all so amusing."

"Well, it is," Zenigata said. "So, did you find out anything new about him or did you just carry files around all day?" Zenigata started laughing again.

Lupin looked away from Zenigata and stared off. He thought back on what McGinty had said about Zenigata, knowing he could never tell him, though he was sure Zenigata already knew. "He's cocky, like you said."

"Yeah, he's a real asshole."

Lupin nodded in agreement. "Though, I did go on about Lupin being good at disguises and how he could be standing right in front of him and he wouldn't know it. The guy just stared at me and said he'd know and that Lupin wasn't stupid enough to enter a police station."

Zenigata laughed. "He'll one day learn just how stupid you really are, don't worry."

"Hey!" Lupin returned to glaring at a now grinning Zenigata. His glare then faded. "Do you think he knew and was just taunting me?"

Zenigata shook his head. "McGinty would have arrested you on the spot. Most likely shot you. He doesn't have a good record of bringing his men in alive. But, once he's studied your files and realizes that the cop he was inches from was you, he's going to be pretty pissed off."

"Good. I hope he's humiliated."

"I wouldn't be hoping for that. He can get pretty crazy."

"There are people out there worse than me. Why doesn't he go shoot them?"

"Because he wasn't given their cases. If he had of, then they'd be dead. Unfortunately for you, he got your case."

"You make him out to be a psychopath..."

Zenigata shrugged.

"And if you knew how trigger happy he was, why'd you let me go meet him?"

"I tried to stop you. Not my fault you ignored me." Zenigata looked at Lupin and grinned. "I think you might be more cocky than he is."

"Whatever," Lupin said unhappily as he glared off at the wall.

...

Jigen stepped out of the elevator, a brown paper bag under his arm as he walked down the hall to his room. He opened the door and turned the light on, setting the bag down on the bed and sitting next to it.

He stared off, the memory of that one family trip replaying in his mind.

He had been eight years old at the time. His brother, who was ten, always loved teasing him, their mom being the one who always made him stop. Jigen had always been close to his mom and sister and so when he saw them sick and throwing up in their hotel room he worried.

Noboru knew this, so he joked about them dying, not thinking anything would come of it. The teasing stopped when Jigen cried and ran out of the room.

He didn't know where he was running, his head down and his eyes too full of tears to see anything. He just ran until he stopped running. And then a hand grabbed his arm and jerked him back.

The look his dad gave him was etched in his mind. It was one of anger and shame. The words said were also ones he could never forget.

 _"You stupid boy! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Making your mother worry like that?! I should have left you in the street and let you get hit! You're worthless, Daisuke! Worthless!"_

Jigen scoffed and shook his head. He reached into the bag and pulled out a large bottle of scotch. He stared down at it for a few seconds before giving in and opening it, taking a large swig.

It was the only way he could forget the memories of his past, if only for a short while.

...

The sun had risen over Paris and once again Lupin had dragged Goemon and Zenigata with him to a cafe for breakfast.

The three of them sat outside with their pastries, Lupin and Zenigata eating theirs while Goemon picked at his.

Lupin watched him and laughed. "It's just sweet bread, Goemon. It isn't going to kill you."

Goemon looked up from his plate and glared at Lupin. "What am I even doing here?"

Lupin shrugged. "I don't think anyone knows the answer to that, Goemon." He grinned as Goemon continued to glare. "Relax, geez. I have a job set up for when Jigen gets back. And then you can take out all of your frustrations on a wall or a chair or something."

Goemon went back to picking at his food. "Where is Jigen, anyway?"

"Japan," Lupin said simply.

"What's he doing there?"

Lupin shrugged.

"I know you know, Lupin."

Lupin again stayed silent.

Goemon fumed. "So he can tell you but you can't tell me?" he yelled as he stood, grabbing his sword and ready to strike.

Lupin backed away nervously.

Goemon looked over at Zenigata. "And you?"

Zenigata shook his head. "I don't know anything, so leave me out of this." He sat calmly while drinking his coffee.

Lupin sighed in defeat. "It's a personal family thing, okay? He didn't want everyone to know. If you haven't noticed, he's a pretty secretive guy."

Goemon straightened and stared at Lupin. "Fine," he said, satisfied with the answer and sitting back down.

Lupin sighed and rolled his eyes. "So, Pops," he said, changing the subject, "when are you handing in your resignation?"

Zenigata glared at him. "So you read the letter?" he asked accusingly.

"Oh, that's what that is? No, I haven't touched it. But now that I know..." He looked at Zenigata with a sly smile.

Zenigata only seemed to grow angrier at this.

"The both of you just need to relax a little," Lupin said with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not going to read your stupid letter, okay? You brought it up at the hospital and I just wondered when you were going to go through with it."

"Oh," Zenigata said as he calmed down. "I'll do it whenever I feel like doing it."

"Cold feet?" Lupin teased. "Look, if you can't go through with it I can just disguise myself as you and do it."

"That isn't necessary," Zenigata said with a glare.

"Okay, whatever," Lupin shrugged. "Just trying to help."

"Well, sorry to ruin your fun," Zenigata muttered as he grabbed his crutches. "I'll be in the car when you're ready."

Lupin watched him as he left.

...

Jigen woke up late in the morning, downing some pain pills to help with the splitting headache he had.

After a quick shower and shave he left the hotel room and got a taxi to the airport. Leaving the vehicle he stepped into the terminal, stopping when he saw his sister walking towards him.

"Late night?" she teased.

"Something like that," Jigen muttered.

Her grin faded as she stared at him. "What's wrong?"

"Just too much time thinking," he answered with a shrug. "Look, I was a total asshole yesterday and-"

"It's fine," she said with a sincere smile.

"No, Takara, it's not." He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "I... I really hated him. And then to see him at the hospital... He was just nothing."

Takara looked down sadly and nodded.

"And you've been dealing with this alone for years and I come in and just start saying shit when I should have been more supportive and... I'm sorry." He stared at her with a blank expression.

She smiled and hugged him tightly. "Like I said before, it's fine." She pulled away from him, smiling as she stared into his eyes. "I know how you felt about him. I was just stupid in thinking that maybe you two could forgive each other before dad... you know."

"Yeah, well, your intentions were good, I guess."

"Dad mentioned you," she said hesitantly while staring at the floor.

He looked at her in slight shock. "Why? I mean, what'd he say?"

She shrugged and pulled a letter out of her purse. "He told me to give this to you if I ever saw you again."

Jigen stared at the letter, slowly taking it from her hands. "What is it?"

She shrugged. "He wrote it last month and gave it to me."

He gave the letter an annoyed glare before pocketing it. "Yeah, well, thanks."

She inhaled deeply and exhaled nervously before speaking. "I hate this. I hate how we are. You're my brother and I barely see you or even talk to you. You're so secretive and I hate it and-"

"Hey," he said, putting his hands gently on her shoulders as he looked down at her and smiled.

She looked at him as tears filled her eyes. "You're all I have left. I don't want to be alone anymore."

Jigen gave a slight laugh. "What about your husband?"

"He works a lot," she said in annoyance. "Our hours are never the same so we barely see each other."

"Well, look, if you ever want to talk just call me. If I'm working I'll call you back when I have the time."

She stared down and nodded.

"And mentioning work, I need to-"

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" Jigen stared at her in shock.

"And I never told dad because..." She bowed her head as she began to cry.

"Hey," Jigen said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I never told him because he wouldn't be here when the baby is born and... and he'd be upset... happy and upset..."

"How far along are you?"

"Three months." She stepped back from him and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I want my baby to know you."

He looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

"And then maybe some day our kids can play together," she said with a grin.

Jigen laughed. "I don't think I'm really ready for all of that. The thought is actually kind of terrifying."

Takara laughed. "It is scary."

"Gee, thanks."

"No," she laughed. "I meant having a kid is scary. Most days I just don't even think I can go through with it. All the "what ifs" that go through my mind. It scares me."

Jigen grinned. "I remember when you were born and Noboru didn't even want to touch you, afraid he'd break something. One day mom made him hold you and after that he held you whenever he could."

"Really?" she said happily.

Jigen nodded. "He was really attached to you."

She stared at the floor with a smile on her face.

"I wish I could stay a bit longer, especially after the great news, but if I don't get back Lupin will start bitching and I'll probably end up shooting him and you know how that goes." He looked at her and grinned.

She laughed. "Yeah, not the best thing to shoot your boss."

He stepped forward and hugged her. "Just call me when you want to talk. And I can come see you between jobs."

"I'd like that. Get you to stop being so anti-social."

He laughed and the two separated. "I'm not sure that will happen, but we'll talk."

"It's a start, at least." She looked at him and smiled. "I have some things I should take care of. Call me when your plane lands?"

Jigen nodded.

The two said their final goodbyes and parted ways, Jigen taking a last look at his sister as she left the terminal.

...

Detective McGinty walked into his office, his eyes staring at a small box on his desk. He sat down and picked it up, staring at the address label, no return address on it.

Suspicious, he thought of having the explosives experts handle it, but felt something so small couldn't be much of a threat. "But still..." he thought, setting the box down and ready to call when the box suddenly exploded open, smoke and confetti spraying in his face.

McGinty leaned back and covered his mouth with his arm, staring in uncertainty where the box sat. As the smoke cleared he could see a small caricature of Lupin, the image bobbing up and down on the spring it was glued to.

"What the hell is this?" he wondered as a message started to play.

"Hello, Detective McGinty," the message, in Lupin's cheerful voice, played. "I just wanted to welcome you to my case. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together. Good luck in arresting me!"

McGinty stared unamused at the box before grabbing it and tossing it in the trash. "Hopefully this kind of shit doesn't continue..." he sighed before going back to his work.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four -** **Birthday**

"You good on your own?" Lupin wondered as he and Zenigata sat in his car, parked in the hospital lot.

Zenigata stared at him in annoyance. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't need you to hold my hand."

Lupin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "Have fun, then," he said with a grin.

"Yeah. Enjoy your nap, _old man_ ," Zenigata said dryly as he left the car and made his way into the hospital.

Zenigata took a seat in the waiting room, ignoring those around him as he stared at the floor. Ten long minutes later his name was called and he was led to an examination room, where he was weighed and had his blood pressure taken.

There was then another ten minute wait until the doctor entered.

"Mister Zenigata," the doctor, a middle aged man with slightly graying hair, said as he stared down at his chart. "How has your leg been? Is it giving you any problems?" he asked, looking up at Zenigata.

"A little last week after the stitches got removed, but nothing since."

"That's good." The doctor knelt down and lifted up Zenigata's pant leg, looking at where the stitches had been. "It's healing quite nicely." He lowered the pant leg and stood up. "Did you get any information on prosthetics when you were last here?"

Zenigata nodded. "I haven't had a chance to look at them."

"Well, whenever you're ready just let us know and we can get everything taken care of. Okay?"

Zenigata nodded.

"Did you have any questions?"

Zenigata shook his head.

"Okay, then. Everything is looking good and I see no reason for you to come in next week. If anything changes, swelling or pain, come back and we'll get you right in."

Zenigata nodded, happy that his long string of doctors appointments was coming to an end.

"And when you've looked at the information on those prosthetics you can call us and make an appointment."

"Yeah," Zenigata muttered.

"It was good seeing you again, Mister Zenigata," the doctor said as he held the door open for him.

Zenigata looked back at the doctor and nodded. He paused and watched the man hurry off down the hall.

"Anything new?" Lupin asked as Zenigata got back in the car. He remained leaned back in his seat, eyes still closed.

"No." He tossed his crutches into the back seat and put his seat belt on. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Lupin grinned. "Nope." He opened his eyes and sat up. "Fujiko called and yelled at me."

"What'd you do?"

Lupin shrugged. "I wasn't listening." He started the car and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Are you sure you two aren't married?"

"If we are then she owes me a ring and half of what she took on that job she did last week."

"Well, good luck with that," Zenigata muttered.

The two were quiet for most of the trip home until Zenigata broke the silence.

"Hey," he said.

Lupin glanced over at him before looking back at the road. "Yeah?" he wondered, not getting another word.

"Take me by the station."

Lupin looked over at him, the look on Zenigata's face telling him exactly what he was about to do. "Yeah," Lupin said, looking back at the road and quickly making a right turn.

Lupin parked three buildings from the station, Zenigata leaving the car and making the trip to his former place of work.

Nobody noticed when he entered, but then that was nothing new. He made his way to the elevators and pressed the button, stepping back and patiently waiting for one to arrive.

The doors to his right opened and he got inside, hitting the button for the fourth floor. Before the doors could close a hand grabbed them and they opened again. Zenigata stared as McGinty rushed in.

"Zenigata," McGinty said, standing and facing the doors as they closed.

Zenigata said nothing, only glared off in front of him.

"I got another gift from your little friend the other day," McGinty said gruffly. "Is that normal?"

"You get used to it," Zenigata said.

"Maybe you did, already being the mockery of this station."

Zenigata's grip on his crutches tightened.

"But me?" McGinty continued. "I have a reputation to keep. I'm not gonna let some weaselly little bastard make a fool out of me."

The doors opened and they both got off. McGinty looked back at Zenigata. "Going to see the chief, too?"

Zenigata nodded.

McGinty gave a slight shrug. "I'll walk with you." He waited for Zenigata to catch up and then kept pace with him. "I thought you'd be in Japan by now. Isn't that where you're from?"

"I found a place in the city. Figured I'd stay here until everything is settled."

"Huh. Your family doesn't miss you? Oh yeah, that's right, they don't." McGinty gave a laugh and a wave, quickening his pace to get to the chief's office first.

Zenigata stopped and glared at the back of the man. His jaws tightened and his body tensed. He then turned and headed back to the elevators.

"That was quick," Lupin said as the passenger door opened and Zenigata got in the car. "I figured there'd be a mountain of paperwork to sign and some party planning or whatever people do when they resign."

"I didn't resign," Zenigata said in annoyance.

"Second thoughts? Still want to arrest me?" Lupin said with a grin.

"It's McGinty," Zenigata sighed. "I... I couldn't go through with it."

"Being an asshole again?" Lupin wondered as he pulled out onto the street.

"He's never stopped being one," Zenigata muttered. He sat in silence staring out the front window.

"You hungry?" Lupin said.

"What is it with you and food?" a now more annoyed Zenigata asked.

Lupin shrugged. "I like it?"

Zenigata sighed deeply, trying to calm himself and failing. "Can you take me to the station in Montreuil?"

"Sure." Lupin looked over at him and grinned. "Hoping to get a job there?"

"Huh?" Zenigata said, broken from thought. "Oh, no. I just need to look into some case files."

Lupin groaned. "You're on leave. Just stop working and enjoy your time off."

Zenigata said nothing as he stared blank-faced out the front window.

Thirty minutes later Lupin pulled up to the front of the station. Zenigata hobbled out of the car and then grabbed his crutches from Lupin. He leaned over and stared at Lupin through the now open window in the passenger door. "Pick me up in an hour."

Lupin nodded and drove off.

Zenigata entered the building and approached the front desk. He showed his badge to the officer. "I need to look through some of your old case files."

"Inspector," the young man acknowledged. He then pointed to his right. "The storage room is through these doors, all the way down the hall and the third to the last door on your right."

"Thanks." Zenigata entered the hall and made his way down it. On the walls were posters of wanted criminals, Zenigata stopping at one for Lupin and staring at it. He scoffed at the menacing photo of the thief and grabbed the paper, ripping it from the wall before pocketing it.

He continued on and got to the door for the file storage room, opening it and surprised at how neat and organized everything looked. "This should make things easier," he muttered as he made his way down one of the aisles and glanced at the boxes on the shelves. "Laroche, Lefevre, Leveque..." He eyed the boxes as he walked down the next aisle, finally seeing the ones he wanted and staring at them.

In front of him at eye level were five boxes, all of them with _Lupin II, Arsene_ written on them in black marker.

...

"Hey," Jigen said to Goemon, who was busy meditating on the floor of the living room. "You're sticking around for dinner on friday night, right?"

"What dinner," Goemon asked, his eyes remaining closed and his body unmoved.

"Lupin's birthday dinner." Jigen paused and stared at Goemon. "The one I told you about two weeks ago. And again last week. And again three days ago."

"Oh, that dinner."

"Yeah, that dinner." Jigen rolled his eyes. "Did you meditate everything Lupin away or something? Not that I'd blame you after that last job."

"I have not. Unfortunately."

Jigen laughed. "Yeah, that McGinty guy doesn't mess around. I guess we'll have to up our game from now on."

"Or Lupin could stop advertising all of our jobs to him," Goemon said in annoyance.

Jigen shrugged. "Eh, that's his thing, so..."

"And _my_ thing is to not walk away with nothing after saving us all from being killed."

"Well, it's either that or we do steal something and Lupin stupidly gives it to Fujiko."

"She's been quiet."

"Not really," Jigen grinned. "Lupin told me she calls just to yell at him."

"Good. Is she coming to the dinner?"

"Don't know. I texted her all the info and she wrote back saying she'd try to make it."

Goemon was silent for a few seconds. "I'll go. I won't be happy about it, but I'll go."

"Well, don't force yourself," Jigen joked as he walked away.

...

The dinner was held inside a very expensive French restaurant, Jigen sparing nothing for his friends big day.

This made Goemon even unhappier that he came along, the food nothing he wanted to consume.

The waiter came to the table with a bottle of wine, announced what it was, and poured some in each glass before setting the bottle in it's ice filled caddy.

"The wine's from Zenigata," Jigen said before taking a sip.

"Wow, I'm surprised he paid that much," Lupin said. "Happy, but surprised."

"Well, he doesn't exactly know how much he paid," Jigen said with a grin. "He gave me his debit card and said to get a bottle of wine. 'Least I could do', he said."

Lupin laughed. "He's gonna be so pissed." He looked over at Goemon, who sat across from him with his eyes closed. "Not thirsty?"

"No," Goemon answered gruffly.

Lupin glared at him. "Look, if you're just gonna sit there and mope all night, why don't you leave."

Goemon opened his eyes and stared at him. "Fine." He stood up, reaching into his kimono and pulling out a folded piece of paper. "Happy birthday," he said in slight annoyance, handing Lupin the paper and then walking out.

"What is it?" Jigen wondered.

Lupin unfolded the paper and stared at it in confusion. "It's a bill."

Jigen laughed.

"For his services? Are you kidding me?" He crumpled up the paper and tossed it to where Goemon had been sitting. "Good luck getting me to pay that," he muttered.

"Leave it to Goemon to misunderstand the concept of birthdays, huh?" Jigen joked.

"Yeah, I guess he-" His phone chiming broke him from thought. He pulled it out and opened the text Fujiko had just sent him.

 _Happy birthday, Lupin. Sorry I couldn't make it. I sent $5000 to your account. Buy yourself something nice, okay? XOXO, Fujiko_

"Anything important?" Jigen wondered.

"No, it's nothing," Lupin said, pocketing his phone and pouring himself some more wine.

Jigen was silent as his anger rose. "I take it she isn't coming."

"She's busy," he muttered. "Look," he sighed, "I know this whole thing was your idea and I'm grateful and everything, but I think I'd rather just go home."

Jigen glared at Lupin and then downed the rest of his wine. "Fine. I mean, this whole night was about you and having fun, not Goemon being an asshole and Fujiko being a flaky bitch, but fine. You wanna go home? I'll take you home."

"Jigen, I-"

"No, I completely understand. You wanna be a whiny ass bitch and go home and mope, fine. I'm not hungry anymore, anyway, so let's go."

Lupin watched as Jigen stormed from the table, making him feel even more depressed.

The ride to the house was quiet and uncomfortable. Jigen sped down the streets, running more than one red light and not heeding any of the stop signs. When he got to Lupin's house he slammed on the breaks.

The two sat in silence for a few seconds. "Look, Jigen, I'm sorry, but it-" Lupin started.

"Get out," Jigen said, cutting him off.

"Huh?"

"Get out of the damn car!"

"Yeah," Lupin muttered, stepping out of the car and closing the door, which barely had time to latch shut before Jigen sped off.

He opened the front gate and walked down the driveway. All the windows of his house were dark, the light by the front door the only thing showing him there was even a house there.

Lupin had never felt more alone, standing in the foyer of the dark and quiet estate. Feet dragging, he made his way up the stairs and down the hall, getting to his room and turning on the lights.

Sitting on his pillow was a small square box, a piece of paper underneath it. He stared at the items for a few seconds before approaching them.

He sat on the edge of his bed and grabbed both items. The paper was folded in half and folded again, his name written on the front. Unfolding the paper, he stared down at the note written on it.

 _Lupin, all those hours staring at that painting of your grandparents and it finally hit me what was familiar about it. Happy birthday. Zenigata_

Lupin picked up the box, a slight grin forming when he saw it was wrapped in one of his old wanted posters. Removing the paper, he lifted the lid of the box and stared at the contents inside.

Laying on a small square of cotton was an old tarnished silver chain, which was strung through two simple, yet ornate, rings, the ones his grandparents had exchanged on their wedding day.


	5. Chapter 5

I had half of this chapter written months ago and the notes for the rest. Unlike with Perseverance I didn't read previous chapters of this story before finishing, so if things repeat or don't match up, that's why. This chapter was first written while I was going through depression. There was an even more depressing Jigen scene that I ended up deleting because it was just too much. Seriously, though, all my stories end up taking this weird turn anymore. xD I liked when they all ended up wacky.

* * *

 **Five - Broken**

"Goemon," Lupin said into the phone as he stepped outside. "What are you doing the end of the month?"

He paused as Goemon answered.

"Because I want you to come to my Christmas dinner." Another pause. "Christmas. You know, that holiday that's always at the end of December? You decorate trees and buy gifts for people and eat a lot?"

Goemon's response made Lupin more annoyed.

"Yeah, I know that's not what the holiday is about, Goemon. I'm not a very religious person, though, so I much prefer chopping down trees, spending an insane amount of money and eating twenty pounds of food. Can you come or not?" Lupin looked up as Zenigata approached him, a cigarette in his mouth.

Zenigata glanced at Lupin while lighting the cigarette and taking a long drag.

"Okay, good, that's all I wanted to know. I'll see you then." He ended the call and let out a frustrated groan.

"Goemon?" Zenigata wondered as he continued to smoke.

"Why did I ever think it was a good idea to give him a phone?" Lupin leaned against the railing and pulled out a cigarette. "I mean, it's good to get ahold of him for jobs, but I keep calling him. And he drives me crazy every time."

"Well, at least he doesn't yell at you like Fujiko does."

"Sometimes I wish he would yell at me," Lupin muttered. He then looked over at Zenigata. "You doing anything for Christmas?"

Zenigata shrugged. "I usually just stay home and get drunk."

"That sounds sad," Lupin said with a grin. "Well, you can stay here and eat and then get drunk."

"I guess," Zenigata muttered while staring at the ground. He dropped what was left of his cigarette and snubbed it out with one of his crutches.

"What about your daughter? You ever do anything with her?"

"Not usually, no."

"You should invite her over, then."

"She's on vacation with her dad."

"Her dad? That's what you call him?" He looked at Zenigata in confusion.

"He did raise her. What else am I supposed to call him?"

Lupin could see he was getting too personal, so dropped the subject. "When are you going back to work?"

"My medical leave ends next month."

"Well, I'm sure they'll have more for you to do besides answering phones and filing reports all day," Lupin said, trying to be positive, though he could see it wasn't doing anything to change Zenigata's mood.

"I'm taking another job, so I won't have to worry about that."

"At the same station or...?"

"That station in Montreuil. When I was there they said they had an opening for a new division, so I took it. It's a demotion, but it's something I can do."

"So you won't be an inspector anymore?"

"Detective. I also won't be involved in Interpol, which is fine."

"What are you doing?"

"Working on unsolved cases."

"Sounds boring," Lupin teased. "It also sounds interesting."

"Interesting?" Zenigata gave him a doubtful look.

"I like solving things," Lupin said with a shrug.

"You want to see if I can get you hired? The police being what they are in this country, I'm sure they'd take you."

Lupin laughed. "I'm sure they would."

"You ever call Jigen?"

"I texted him. He texted back saying he'd be here next week."

"You know you're eventually going to have to talk to him, right? Have you two even spoken to each other since your birthday?"

Lupin sighed and shook his head. "I screwed up."

"I'm sure it isn't the first time."

"Yeah, but with all this stuff going on with his family, he's even bitchier than normal."

"People deal with things their own way," Zenigata sighed. "Just apologize and don't push it."

"Sure, I guess," Lupin mumbled, watching as Zenigata went back inside the house.

...

Goemon had arrived a week early, much to Lupin's confusion. After being asked if he got his dates mixed up, Goemon simply replied that he had finished his training and had nothing else to do. Lupin didn't care to understand, so he just left it at that.

He helped Lupin go tree shopping and carry the massive blue spruce inside the house. After some complaining about all the sap he was then told to grab the decorations and untangle the lights.

Goemon did as he was told and brought a total of ten boxes down from the attic. He found the box of lights and opened it, staring down at the contents in annoyance.

Lupin left Goemon with the tangled knot of lights while he went to go shopping. Figuring he'd hear a lot of complaining Lupin left the house as quick as he could.

Goemon found the task challenged him mentally. And in a way it relaxed him.

The phone rang and Goemon forced himself away from his task to answer it. "Yes," he said into the receiver.

"Goemon?" Fujiko asked. "Where's Lupin?"

"Shopping," Goemon answered.

"Oh." There was a long pause between them. "Well, "she continued, "tell him I'm flying in Christmas day. And that I'm bringing someone."

"Okay."

"I'll see you then."

"Okay," Goemon said.

There was another pause. "Bye, Goemon."

He pulled the phone away from him as she hung up. He stared at it in annoyance, setting it down and going back to his lights.

...

Lupin walked to Zenigata's door, lifting his hand to knock on it before hesitating. He lowered his hand and started to turn away when he stopped. Taking a deep breath he turned back to the door and knocked on it.

"Come in," Zenigata said, his voice sounding tired.

Lupin cracked the door open and peaked into the room. "Is this a bad time?"

Zenigata was laying on his back in bed, hands folded on his stomach as he stared up at the ceiling. "It's fine."

Lupin stepped into the room and closed the door. He walked to the window and glanced outside before leaning against the wall.

Zenigata turned his head towards him. "Well?"

Lupin looked at him before staring at the floor. "You know... you know how we had that talk? About love? About me and Fujiko and...?"

Zenigata looked back at the ceiling and laughed.

"Something funny?" Lupin asked in annoyance.

"You're acting like some pathetic lovestruck teenager."

"Of course you'd be the expert in that," Lupin muttered.

"I was actually thinking about my daughter, but I figured saying you sounded like a teenaged girl would make you more annoyed."

Lupin glared at him and thought of leaving when Zenigata spoke up.

"But, yes, I remember that conversation. What about it?"

"Is it weird?"

"What are you talking about?" a slightly annoyed Zenigata wondered.

Lupin sighed in frustration. "How I... how I couldn't even answer? How you asked if I loved her and I didn't say anything?"

Zenigata shrugged. "Not really. It just means you don't love her."

"But it's not even that."

"If you have to think about the answer, then-"

"It's complicated, okay?"

Zenigata scoffed. " _Being_ in love is, but knowing whether or not you _are_ in love isn't."

Lupin walked to the end of the bed and sat on it, lowering his head and staring at the floor.

Zenigata lifted his head and stared at Lupin's back. "So, do you love her or not?"

"When my grandma died my grandpa became depressed. And when my parents got divorced my dad became an angry drunk."

Zenigata sighed and lowered his head back on his pillow. "It's a yes or no answer."

"Meeting a woman and seeing how fast I can get her to have sex with me is great. And then the next day it's like we never even knew each other."

"They're called one night stands. A lot of people have them. Especially people with commitment issues like you."

Lupin said nothing.

"Okay," Zenigata said in annoyance as he sat up in bed. "Your grandpa was depressed, your father was an angry drunk, you're a depressed drunk. What you're afraid of happening is already here. Embrace it and get on with your life."

"But, what if..."

"'What if' what? What if you actually admit it to yourself that you love Fujiko and you lose her? Well, first of all, you can't even admit you love her and you've become... whatever it is you are now. And second, you can't lose someone you never had, so there isn't any reason to even be worrying about it."

There was a long pause before Lupin spoke. "What did you become when you lost your wife?"

"I didn't _become_ anything. As hard as it is to believe, I'm the same person I've always been. Besides, _I_ was the one who decided to walk away. Do I regret it? No. My wife and daughter are much happier without me. I love both of them too much to force them to be miserable."

Lupin stared off in thought before reaching into his jacket and pulling out a small black box. "I've been carrying this around with me for months," he muttered as he stared down at it.

"Carrying what?" Zenigata wondered.

Lupin flung the box over his right shoulder.

Zenigata caught the box and opened it, staring down at the expensive looking ring inside.

"I was going to propose to her on my birthday, but she never showed up. I actually bought that ring on the day... the day of the accident. She was in town and I decided I was going to ask her that night, but then..."

"She stood you up."

"No, we never had plans. I... I almost killed you," Lupin said, angry at himself all over again. "I was too busy being a drunk blubbering idiot to even think about her."

Zenigata closed the box and stared at the back of Lupin's head. "So now what?"

"I was thinking of asking her after the dinner. I figure it'll make for a memorable Christmas, right?" He looked back at Zenigata and shrugged.

"There's a fifty percent chance she'll say no. Are you sure you want to do that to yourself?"

Lupin stared down at the bed. "At least I'll finally know the answer, right? Either way this will be a Christmas I'll never forget."

Zenigata handed Lupin the box. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

Lupin stuck the box back in his jacket and stood.

"You never answered the question," Zenigata said.

"Because I don't even really know the answer," Lupin said before walking out of the room.

"Idiot," Zenigata muttered, going back to staring at the ceiling, though now more annoyed and his thoughts on something else.

...

"Hey," Lupin said with no emotion in his voice or on his face as he opened the door and was faced with an equally unemotional Jigen.

"Hey," Jigen said. He stepped into the house, thrusting the box he held into Lupin's chest as he walked by him.

Lupin took the box and looked down at it. He could tell by the shape that it was a bottle of wine. "Thanks," he said, closing the front door and taking the box to the living room, where the now fully decorated and lit up tree stood. He set the box on the coffee table and looked back at the kitchen, where Jigen was getting a drink from the fridge. "So... How're things?"

Jigen removed the cap from the bottle of soda he held and took a long drink. He shrugged while screwing the cap back on. "Fine."

Lupin sighed. "Can we just talk about that night?"

"No," Jigen said simply as he left the kitchen. "Is Zenigata in his room?"

"Yeah." Lupin looked confused as Jigen walked by him and down the hall.

Jigen didn't even bother knocking, barging into Zenigata's room.

Zenigata was sat up in bed, looking up from the book he was reading. "Jigen."

"You're a father, right?" Jigen asked, something clearly bothering him.

Zenigata looked at him in confusion. "Yeah," he answered slowly.

"What does this mean?" he asked, taking a letter out of his jacket pocket and handing it to Zenigata.

Zenigata took the folded single sheet of paper and opened it, a hand written note filling up most of the page. He sat silently and read it. When he was done he looked up at Jigen. "Your father is sorry and he loves you." He handed the paper back.

Jigen took the paper as he shook his head. "My father was an asshole and he hated me. This has to be some sort of code or something."

"There is no secret dad code, Jigen. It means what's written."

Jigen stared down at the paper in aggravation.

"He was dying," Zenigata said. "People try and make amends when they're dying. It makes them more at peace. Just be happy he finally realized his faults and go on with your life."

Zenigata's advice seemed to make Jigen more angry. "He," he started in a loud voice, calming himself before continuing. "He treated me like shit and then suddenly he's dying and becomes aware of how he treated me? And this is, what, trying to make me feel better or something?"

"The letter was for him, not for you."

"Then why did he want me to have it?" Jigen said, so angry he almost yelled his question.

"Maybe he thought it'd make you feel better about the situation."

"I am a murderer and a drunk because of him. I-" Jigen stopped as he started to become emotional. He looked up at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

"You became who you are because you chose that path. You can't go blaming everything wrong in your life on your father."

"You didn't know him," Jigen said in annoyance.

"No, I didn't, but going around saying "I'm a heartless murderer and it's all daddys fault" is ridiculous, even for you."

Jigen said nothing, just stared down at the letter in anger.

Zenigata sighed. "He said he was sorry, Jigen. Whether or not he really meant it doesn't matter. He told you that in a letter he wanted you to read and you read it, so just accept his apology and move on with your life. There's really no sense of holding onto your anger of him."

Jigen let out a deep sigh. "And if I do?"

"Then it'll be you writing a similar letter to your kid." Zenigata stared at Jigen, who chose to stand quietly. "Just let it go. In the end, it'll be worth it."

"I'll think about it," Jigen said after a long pause. He looked up at Zenigata and nodded. "Thanks," he said before leaving the room.

Zenigata stared at the door as it closed. He looked down at the bed and sighed, wishing he could go back to chasing down these people instead of finding out just how troubled they really were.

...

Christmas morning came and Lupin was busy in the kitchen. He had stuffed the turkey and got it in the oven, busy cleaning up to prepare the other dishes when Jigen walked into the room.

Jigen grabbed a bottle of soda from the fridge and sat down at the island. He took a drink and put the cap back on, staring off at the counter.

"What's with your sudden love of soda?" Lupin wondered, his back to Jigen as he measured out spices for the nights dessert.

Jigen glanced up at him and then back down. "It's just something to drink."

"And so is beer."

Jigen glared at him. "Maybe I don't want to be drunk first thing in the morning," he barked. He closed his eyes and sighed. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Lupin said, shrugging it off.

"No it's not. None of this is. This crap between us? It's childish."

"You were the one who didn't want to talk about it," Lupin muttered.

"Can you just stop?" Jigen said, annoyed at Lupin's attitude. "Yeah, I was an asshole, but so were you."

"No I wasn't," Lupin said, turning and glaring at Jigen. "I was upset that Fujiko wasn't going to show up. And then you just started yelling like you usually do."

"Fine, I was the asshole. You were the pathetic lovestruck teenager. Happy?"

Lupin turned from Jigen and continued preparing the dessert. "Just because you lost your dad doesn't mean you have to lash out at everyone. I didn't alienate everyone I knew when I lost mine."

"You didn't even know your dad," Jigen spat.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me of that."

"I didn't," Jigen paused and took a deep breath. "I didn't mean it like that. And you know it."

"Whatever." Lupin left the kitchen and walked to the pantry, grabbing a bottle of rum for the dessert.

Jigen finished the soda and fidgeted with the bottle as he stared off in thought. "Did you hate your dad for walking out on you?"

"A little, I guess. But, like you said, I didn't even know him." He looked back at Jigen. "Did you hate yours?"

Jigen nodded. "After my brother died he was different. I sometimes thought he wished I had died instead."

"Oh," Lupin said, feeling uncomfortable where the conversation was going. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah," was all Jigen could think of to say, now wishing he had never brought it up, starting to feel like a fool. He glanced up as Zenigata entered the kitchen and opened the fridge.

"Thanks for leaving me something to drink, Jigen," Zenigata said dryly as he grabbed the last soda.

"I gotta get out of here, so I'll grab some more when I'm out." Jigen set the empty bottle down and stood, grabbing the keys from his pocket and leaving the room.

He quickly opened the front door, stopping before running into Fujiko and the man she was with, who had just arrived.

"Jigen," she said.

"Lupin's in the kitchen," he told her, taking another look at the man before walking past them.

"Lupin," Fujiko called out as she made her way to the kitchen, the man following.

Lupin looked up with a big smile. "Fuji...ko." His smile faded upon seeing the man. "You brought a friend."

"Goemon didn't tell you?"

Lupin shook his head.

"Of course he didn't," she sighed. "I'm sorry, Lupin. I figured he told you."

"It's fine," he said with a fake smile. "We have plenty of food for..." He looked at the man.

"James," the man said with a British accent. He extended his hand.

Lupin shook it and then stepped back.

"James is my fiance," Fujiko said, staring lovingly up at the man.

Zenigata, completely ignored as he sat at the island, glanced over at Lupin.

"Fiance," Lupin said, his fake smile still present. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." Fujiko grabbed James hand and pulled him from the kitchen. "Let's go find Goemon," she told him.

"He's in the backyard," Zenigata said, not knowing, or caring, if she heard him.

Lupin turned and faced the counter. He stared down at the dish, then reached over and grabbed the bottle of rum, downing over half the bottle before almost slamming it back down.

Zenigata stared at him sympathetically.

...

Lupin sat at the dinner table, staring off as he drank from a bottle of scotch.

Zenigata sat near him, glancing at him on occasion as the others brought the food out to the table.

A nice and delicious looking spread before them, everyone sat down and started grabbing food to put on their plate.

Zenigata glanced at Lupin as the overly drunk man stood up.

"I want to make a toast," Lupin said, his voice slow and slurred.

"Lupin, just sit down," Zenigata said.

Lupin glared at him. "This is my house and my dinner. I'm gonna make a toast."

The others at the table sat in discomfort.

"Zenigata," Lupin said, holding the bottle in his direction. "You are... you."

"Thanks," Zenigata mumbled, staring at his plate in confusion.

"Goemon." Lupin lifted the bottle and motioned it towards Goemon, who didn't know what to make of any of this. "You need to have more sex. Don't die a virgin."

Goemon's face blushed in embarrassment.

"Jigen, you are an asshole, but I love you." Lupin took a long drink of the scotch.

"Okay," Jigen replied, just wanting this to be over so he could eat.

"And Fujiko." Lupin stared at her as she stared at him, her face showing that she was afraid of what he was going to say. "You..." He looked down and let out a laugh. "You are a whore."

The others at the table looked at Lupin, shocked that he would say that.

"I am a fool," Lupin continued. "Wasting all those years loving you. You used me." His tone got louder and angrier the longer he talked. "You ripped out my heart and crushed it. As you laughed. You bitch. You cold-hearted bitch!"

"Lupin," Zenigata said as he stood. "I think we should-"

"You whore!" Lupin said, ignoring Zenigata. "Is he your next victim? Are you gonna... gonna wreck him, too?"

Zenigata grabbed Lupin, pulling him from the table. "Let's go, Lupin."

"Useless bitch," Lupin yelled at Fujiko. "Piece of... Let go of me," he said in annoyance, trying to fight off Zenigata, but too weak from the alcohol to do anything.

Fujiko, her face red in anger, stared down at her plate. She then tossed her napkin on the table and stood. "Come on, James. We're leaving."

Jigen and Goemon said nothing as the two left. Their eyes stared down at the table, the front door slamming shut and everything, aside from Lupin spouting drunken nonsense at Zenigata, went quiet.

"More food for us," Jigen said, trying to lighten the mood.

Goemon stood and left, leaving out the kitchen door to get some air.

Jigen shrugged. "More food for me," he said as he started filling his plate.

...

Zenigata somehow managed to drag the drunken Lupin down the hall and into his room, shoving him inside before following and slamming the door shut. "What the hell was that about?" he asked in a raised voice.

Lupin stood with his back to Zenigata. He lowered his head and started to cry, his body trembling as low sobs escaped his lips.

Zenigata's anger drained. "Lupin, I'm sorry. I know you hoped for things to turn out differently, but-"

His words stopped as he was too surprised to continue, Lupin quickly turning and wrapping his arms around him.

Zenigata slowly lifted his arms and comforted Lupin, who was now sobbing into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Lupin," he muttered.

"I love her," Lupin said between sobs. "I love her more than anything. And now she's gone."

Zenigata continued to comfort him. Saying nothing more, he stared at the far wall in sadness while Lupin continued to cry.


End file.
